Metro Pulse Online: Movies, Past &Amp; Future

Armed only with his mysterious mental connection to the feral minds of studio executives, the Movie Guru reveals just how good or bad this week's new releases will be:

Better Luck Tomorrow (R)
A group of over-achieving Asian-American high schoolers aim to be the next generation of Enron leaders, having learned too well the lessons of the previous "greed is good" generation. Along with getting straight "A"s and making honors lists, they have their hands in several profitable—and illegal—enterprises. Because, after all, money is the only standard of success, right?
Prediction: This is another of those flicks that have already opened everywhere else. Reviews have been positive, even if the movie'll probably give you an overwhelmingly negative view of today's youth.

Confidence (R)
Young grifter Jake Vig (Edward Norton) makes a big score, only to find that he's stung a major mob boss (Dustin Hoffman). Hoping to make amends, Jake approaches the mobster, who proposes that Vig pull a major con that'll net everybody involved lotsa loot. With Rachel Weisz and Andy Garcia.
Prediction: It won't be another Ocean's Eleven, but it may be worth a look if the cast is really into it.

The Good Thief (R)
Nick Nolte plays an aging gambler on a losing streak who decides to pull a spectacular robbery so as to retire on the proceeds.
Prediction: Well, it's got Nolte, but it's also got competition from Confidence and the other heist movies that have come out of late—as well as from Nolte's well-publicized clashes with the law in real life.

Identity (R)
A psychiatrist (Alfred Molina) reviews the case of a multiple-murderer (Pruitt Taylor Vince) as said murderer's lawyer's work for a stay on the eve of his execution. As plans are made for the killer's transfer to court, ten strangers (including John Cusack, Rebecca De Mornay, Ray Liotta, and Amanda Peet) find themselves stranded at a desolate desert hotel. One by one, they begin to die. Who's next? Why is it happening? What's the connection between the strangers? What's the connection with the soon-to-be-executed killer?
Prediction: The logic of the story may break down when the truth is revealed, but the ride there appears to be a knowing and well-played homage to Ten Little Indians, with doses of The Usual Suspects and Scream mixed in.

It Runs in the Family (PG-13)
Mitchell (Kirk Douglas), the patriarch of the dysfunctional Gromberg family, tries to reconcile with his estranged son, Alex (Michael Douglas), who has his own issues with his son, Asher (Cameron Douglas).
Prediction: Didn't Gene Hackman already do this plot in some Tennebaum thing? But it's a good cast, so maybe the director can stoke some fires in them.

The Real Cancun (R)
A bunch of college kids get drunk and have sex during Spring Break in Cancun. Sort of Temptation Island on the big screen.
Prediction: (1) Very life-like. (2) Yech.

Three Cheers

The late Polish-born director Krystof Kieslowski was no stranger to epic themes and storytelling. In 1988 and 1989 he created Decalogue for Polish television. The series is a collection of 10 one-hour dramas inspired by each of the 10 Commandments. Set in a Warsaw apartment complex, the tales provide an intimate look at the hard realities of applying simplistic moral lessons to the complexities of real life. In 1991's The Double Life of Veronique, Kieslowski followed the lives of two strangers with the same name. The result is a poetic glimpse at the surreal spiritual ties binding us all together.

But Kieslowski's last three films, the Three Colors trilogy, may be his most revered. Created by Kieslowski and his writing partner Krzysztof Piesiewicz for France's bicentennial, the films loosely examine the themes of the French flag (liberty, equality, and fraternity).

Blue (R, 1993), stars Juliette Binoche as the wife of a famous composer killed in an automobile accident. A survivor of the tragedy herself, Binoche shoulders her grief, withdrawing from society while assuming the responsibility of her late husband's affairs. Most challenging of all, she discovers uncomfortable truths about the nature of her husband's character, and struggles to forgive.

White (R, 1994) is a comedy following an impotent Polish man after he is deserted by his wife of six months. Devastated and still in love, he returns home to join his brother in his barbershop business. There he concocts an outrageous scheme of revenge against his ex-lover, desperate to have her once more.

Red (R, 1994) is a tight morality play in which a cynical, retired judge forms a tenuous friendship with a fashion model after she catches him eavesdropping on his neighbor's telephone calls using electronic surveillance.

These three films are not for the casual movie fan. Kieslowski's work is subtle, and often the answers are not spelled out. Three Colors requires repeated viewings and a long attention span. If you are a patient viewer, these films will reward you with their depth and emotional complexity. If not, you'd do well to stick with Hollywood.

—Lloyd Babbit